Star Wars Rebels – Siege of Lothal recap

I am so happy that I can finally talk about the amazing start for Star Wars Rebels season 2 that I saw at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim back in April! I am still thankful to Disney and Lucasfilm for offering me the opportunity to watch the premiere as a member of the media.

Below are some of the highlights from this amazing Star Wars Rebels episode:

Beware spoilers ahead…

The Siege of Lothal opens with a big dog fight by The Ghost crew and a Rebel Fleet to acquire some crates that the Imperials are transporting. It is very good to see the crew of The Ghost, especially Hera, work with this Rebel fleet. However, Kanan is not too sure about being part of a military organization again. Especially, based on what happened during The Clone Wars.

The conversations between Hera and Kanan about his concerns during this episode remind me of Han and Leia. [Many of us think that this proves that they are ‘space married’.]

Minister Tua is a tragic figure in this episode. With the arrival of Darth Vader, she realizes that in order to preserve her life, Tua must leave her post and get passage off Lothal. In order to do this, she asks the crew of The Ghost for help.

What I think is the most overlooked part of this story is what Tua uses to barter her way off of Lothal. She agrees to give the Rebels a list of sympathizes that are being watched by the Imperials. In addition, Tua offers the reason WHY Lothal is so important and not just for the mining of fuel. [My husband and I agree on the theory is that it has something to do with the Death Star, but nothing has been confirmed within the story line yet.] This is the reason that Kanan and Ahsoka agree with Ezra that it is important to help her.

Unfortunately, Darth Vader uses her desire to leave as a trap for the crew of The Ghost, which Sabine suspected. However, this trap did not play out the way my husband and I thought it would. Vader used Tua’s attempt to leave as a way to turn the entire planet of Lothal against this crew of Rebels by accusing them of killing her. Darth Vader shows that with this he is not only good at using brute force, but is also adapt at using strategy in dealing with these ‘traitors’ to the Empire.

The confrontation of Kanan, Ezra and Darth Vader is shown in the season 2 trailer. When my husband and I saw that trailer, we did not realize that this confrontation would happen so quickly. Therefore, this is a very happy surprise to all those who watched this episode.

We knew that when this happened that Kanan and Ezra, no matter how powerful either is, could not stand for long against Darth Vader. With the help of Sabine and Zeb, who threw bombs to topple over two walkers, they thought they defeated this new foe. However, as shown in one of the previews of this episode, Darth Vader is much more than either of them can handle.

Of course the climax of the episode is when Darth Vader pursues these Rebels, using a homing device, to the fleet. Darth Vader still proves that even though he is now a Dark Lord of the Sith, he has the flying skills of Anakin Skywalker. Hera is the only pilot that was able to stay out of Darth Vader’s range during this engagement.

The pivotal moment in this episode happened during this confrontation with Darth Vader.

Ahsoka and Kanan use their Jedi abilities to identify the pilot of the fighter that is destroying the squadron. In addition, Ezra was trying to let Ahsoka know that based on his feelings that it has to be the new foe that Kanan and him encountered on Lothal. Just as Ezra said this, Ahsoka finally made contact with the pilot of the fighter through the force. However, whatever she discovered during this contact overwhelmed her.

Unfortunately, Darth Vader is able to use this to identify just who is making contact through the force.

The remains of the Rebel fleet and the crew of The Ghost were able to make their escape. Kanan and Ezra decide to contiue the fight against The Sith and The Empire with the support of Hera, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper.

They are going to need each other in order to deal with another Inquistor that Vader is dispatching to continue the hunt for ‘Skywalker’s Apprentice’ and any other lost Jedi, like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

My husband and I believe that season 2 will continue to have consequences for everyone involved, on both sides of this conflict. Either way it will be a wild ride that we and many other Star Wars Rebels fans cannot wait to take.

So, have you seen this episode?

What do you think about these highlights?